Department Listing

Staff Listing

With autumn in full swing and
the leaves showing their vibrant colors, it’s time for this year’s ARDA Fall Conference,
which will take place November 12-14, at the Fairmont
in Washington, DC.

The industry gathers annually to
take advantage of this networking opportunity and to analyze key issues we’re
facing in the current economic and political environment. This year, if you
decide to join us, we’ll have plenty in store for you!

First, we have our core
association meetings, where our most engaged members gather in committees,
councils, and boards to advance our respective programs of work and set new
goals for the future. Then, as we move through the program, our lineup of
speakers and events will offer key information and tools to help you make more
informed, strategic decisions in your individual businesses.

Of course, there’s even more to
the program with networking opportunities, receptions, and times for business
partners to meet. Don’t miss Wednesday night’s Trustee Foundation Dinner at the
Folger Shakespeare Library (by invitation only), or the political updates at
the

ARDA-ROC Legislative Luncheon.

Thursday will feature the main
portion of the program—with a “Board Bulletin” session , insights from Marci
Rossell (former chief economist for CNBC), and then keynote speaker David
Gregory (former host of NBC’s “Meet the Press”). Friday kicks off with the
Chairman’s League breakfast (speaker, Chris Cillizza), immediately followed by
our finale event— “Meet the Chairmen” session, which will close out our time
together.

Click here for
registration information and a detailed schedule (including the committee listing).

Ready for ARDA West?

The American Resort Development Association’s (ARDA) annual
regional meetings bring together local timeshare leaders and representatives for valuable
updates and productive discussions about the future of the industry. After a
great turnout for ARDA Southeast in Charleston, South Carolina last month,
we’re excited for ARDA West, kicking
off tomorrow, October 21, in Denver, Colorado!

Unable to join us? You can still participate and follow
along on Twitter and Facebook, as we highlight the brightest ideas and key
takeaways from our collection of speakers and presenters.

#ARDAwest

Engaged Employee
= Satisfied Customer

Every business wants satisfied customers. But many don’t realize the
secret sauce is right in front of them—their employees.

Over the years, several studies have examined the link between
engaged employees and satisfied customers. Perhaps most notably, Gallup’s 2013 State
of the American Workplace found a strong correlation between highly engaged
employees and customer loyalty, along with increases in productivity, sales,
and profits. Clearly, engagement is not something to be ignored.

But how can we tell if our employees are engaged? And what does
that even mean? Recently, attendees had the chance to hear first-hand from
Karen Case, vice president of human resources at Wyndham Vacation Ownership,
who spoke at ARDA’s Southeast Regional Meeting held in Charleston, SC.

Karen described engaged employees as those who have an emotional
commitment to their organization and its goals. They are passionate about their
job, often going above and beyond their responsibilities for the greater good
of the company—as opposed to the not-engaged employees, who are essentially
phoning it in, putting the time but not the energy or passion into their work.

On the flip side is the actively disengaged employee. These are
the employees who aren’t just unhappy with their jobs but have a toxic mindset
that, if left unchecked, could spread throughout your business like wildfire.
They do the bare minimum to get by, constantly undermine their coworkers, and
even sabotage projects. While you should still do your best to find out why
they’re so disengaged, in some cases the best option for everyone is to part
ways. But that doesn’t mean you should dismiss all of them. In fact, given the
right tools and attention, you may still be able to turn many of these
employees from actively disengaged to engaged.

So what steps can you take to increase engagement in your
organization? Karen offers these tips:

First and foremost, it has to start at the
top. If your leadership isn’t engaged, you can’t expect your employees to be.

Next, ask them for feedback. Once you’ve
surveyed your organization, define a few key themes within the results so you
can report back out to them.

Communication is key—you want them to know
you’ve heard what they have to say.

Then, develop action plans around those key
themes, continuing to communicate to them as you make progress against the
plans.

Ultimately,
doing what’s right for people proves to be what’s right for the organization.
When you start by making employee engagement a goal and focus of your business,
you’ll reap the rewards—a successful business with happy employees and happy
customers.

Strategic Inventory Investments

By Jon BlackmonOctober 6, 2014

With the timeshare industry experiencing economic growth,
many resorts are adding rental programs to their growing repertoire of
services. These programs allow the general public access to timeshare resorts
without long-term commitments, creating buzz around the benefits of condo-style
accommodations and allowing resorts to capitalize on previously unused space. Tapping
into this new consumer pool allows resorts to foster relationships with
previously elusive markets and by offering a stay unlike any hotel, timeshare resorts
can demonstrate the value of their resort, thereby gaining loyal and happy
customers.